Women have been complaining of ill fitting bras for years – and it’s no wonder when they’re still based on measurements devised 80 years ago.

But a revolutionary new bra being made in Wales hopes to change all that by using 3D measurements.

The UK’s lingerie industry is worth £3.6bn a year but it’s estimated that almost 80% of women are wearing the wrong size bra, which can in some cases lead to health problems like a bad back and neck pain, or even headaches, heartburn, shortness of breath and dizziness.

Some trace the origin of bra measurements back to World War One, when they were based on military uniforms, while conventional bra-fitting methods were originally conceived in the 1930s and are only accurate up to around size 38D.

As a result, some have taken drastic action and turned to cosmetic surgery for breast reductions or reconstruction to find some comfort.

But the NHS bra fitter and plastic surgeon behind the Optifit bra hope their creation may provide women with some hope.

Sue McDonald said she became so fed up of cutting and re-stitching bras to properly support women she joined forces with consultant plastic surgeon Atul Khanna in a radical attempt to change the way women measure themselves.

They officially launched their range of 3D-measured bras, Optifit, at a medical conference this month, using plastic surgeons’ own multi-dimensional, anatomical measurements for breast surgery.

Mr Khanna, a member of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons and medical director of Optifit, said: “It has been established that around 80% of women wear the wrong size bra.

“But no matter what brands they buy or how much they spend, the correct size simply doesn’t exist, because the traditional industry measuring system is uni-dimensional and not enough parameters have ever been taken into account to make these garments comfortable, effective and most of all healthy for women regardless of their shape.

He said breasts are one of the hardest body parts to measure and assess as they vary in volume, width, height, projection, tissue density, composition, shape and position on the chest.

So, he says, it is crucial that a wide range of measurements are taken into consideration.

Ms McDonald, who has 20 years of experience of advising women on pregnancy, breastfeeding, physiotherapy and post-mastectomy issues, said: “The conventional bra is a symmetrical garment with sizing based on just two measurements.

“These arbitrary formulas trace back to ‘statistically average’ mass production surveys for the ready-made clothing industry and the male chest circumference, so women may present identical sizes but actually be quite different shapes.